Shops in downtown Spartanburg participate in Small Business Saturday

Saturday

Nov 30, 2013 at 8:11 PM

Shoppers in downtown Spartanburg on Saturday were able to enjoy a quieter, simpler alternative to the madness of Black Friday.

By Zach Foxzac.fox@shj.com

Shoppers in downtown Spartanburg on Saturday were able to enjoy a quieter, simpler alternative to the madness of Black Friday.Saturday marked the third-annual Small Business Saturday. The event was created and promoted by American Express Co. as a way for shoppers to move away from the bigger, chain stores and buy locally. For their part, many stores offer customers special deals and savings throughout the day.Angie Shuman has been working in downtown Spartanburg since 1999 and now owns Herb & Renewal on East Main Street. Shuman said Small Business Saturday allows businesses to help build a sense of community."I just believe that people need to support their neighbors and friends," she said.Shuman, who was participating in her first Small Business Saturday, said she saw many customers come in waves at different points during the day.Another East Main Street store, The Local Hiker specializes in hiking and camping equipment and also participated in its first Small Business Saturday. The store was adorned with Christmas decorations to help usher in the holiday shopping season."We've had a great day today so far. Way better than average," said Kathy Silverman, who co-owns the store with her husband, Michael.Michael Silverman said participating was kind of a no-brainer, especially because the store has only been open for about five weeks. He's noticed more people buying local and said the efforts of local small businesses have not gone unnoticed, as the city of Spartanburg and the surrounding community have been very helpful and receptive."The revitalization of downtown thrives on small business," he said. "It's one of the keys to bringing it all back to life."Nita Lawrence owns Petit Armoire, a children's boutique that has been in downtown Spartanburg for four and a half years. She said that even though some of the items in her store are carried at bigger stores and online retailers, shoppers still come to support her business because it's local, noting that customers arrived shortly after she opened at 10 a.m."It really is a great thing for the whole community," she said.Petit Armoire has participated in Small Business Saturday since the day's inception in 2010. Over the last three years, she has seen the effort to buy from local businesses grow, thanks in large part to advertising on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.As for downtown Spartanburg specifically, Shuman thinks small business has had, and will continue to have, a great impact on the city."Small business brings people into downtown," she said. "It makes Spartanburg seem more alive."

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